


I want ours to be an endless song

by brilliantbanshee



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Found Family, Hurt Carlos Reyes, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mya is back bitches!, Worried TK Strand, but like good cheesy I swear, parts of this are so cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28307307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brilliantbanshee/pseuds/brilliantbanshee
Summary: “You can’t die on Christmas” + hurt for Day 5 of 911 Christmas Week——TK figures that working on Christmas Eve will be nice, he’ll get to spend the day with his team and maybe even get to see his boyfriend on a call. It starts out like that too - until an incident in the field forces him to confront one of his biggest fears and threatens to change everything for good. Despite everything: all his training and years of experience, all he can do is wait and hope for a Christmas miracle; for anything that will save him from losing the best thing he has ever had.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 11
Kudos: 143
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand





	I want ours to be an endless song

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks as always go to the lovely[Jamie](https://officerrxyes.tumblr.com/) who helped me work through the specifics of the incident as well as with the actual writing. 
> 
> The prompt for this was "you can't die on Christmas" so naturally my head went there and you all just have to deal with the result. There is a happy ending though because I like it when they are happy most of all.
> 
> Title from "Love Like Ghosts" by Lord Huron

TK didn’t mind working on Christmas, really. 

Working the Christmas Eve shift meant that he was guaranteed to spend the holiday with his dad and his team. They were his family and he wouldn’t have liked to spend the holiday any other way. The only one missing was Carlos, but he knew his boyfriend was also working today. Which left him being torn between hoping for a nice, calm shift or for a small non—life threatening emergency just so he could see Carlos. 

It was a dilemma he kept to himself. He loved his team, but there was no way they would let that particular thought pass by without comment. 

The decision was made for him just as they were settling in for the night. The others groaned when the alarms went off but TK couldn’t quite contain his grin at the possibility of seeing Carlos. 

Unfortunately for him, it didn’t go unnoticed. 

“You’re unbearable,” Judd groaned as they piled into the rig.

“What?” 

“You know what. Could we have one call without you two not making heart eyes at each other?” 

“I think it’s cute,” Marjan interjected, but there was an edge of teasing in her tone. 

TK rolled his eyes, “It’s not like I  _ know  _ if he is going to be there. I have no control over which calls the police end up on.” 

As he spoke, the dispatcher’s voice crackled over their radios, “126, be advised that Austin PD has been called in for support.” 

The others gave TK an unimpressed look. He shrugged, “Guess I’m just lucky that way.” 

There was a collective groan and Owen reminded them all to get their heads in the game. They rode in silence until they arrived at the accident scene. It was a single vehicle accident with the driver — a sheepish looking teen — standing awkwardly outside of the car, looking no worse for wear. In fact, the only victim in the accident seemed to be the traffic light which did not take its pole getting hit well. 

The moment they all descended from the truck Owen began to dole out assignments: “Paul, Marjan — let’s get this pole stabilized. TK check on the driver, see if he is really okay. Everyone else, direct traffic.” 

With a chorus of “yes Cap,” they were all off to attend to their assigned task. TK grabbed the first aid kit and headed over to the unfortunate driver, “Hey there, my name’s TK. Do you mind if I give you a quick once over, just to make sure you’re okay?” 

The teen nodded, still stealing glances at the pole as Paul and Marjan worked to brace it to keep it from falling into traffic, “I’m fine, but my parents are going to kill me.” 

“Hey,” TK said reassuringly, “this isn’t ideal but you’re not hurt and neither is anyone else so if I had to guess I’d say they’ll be pretty happy about that.”

The driver took a deep breath and nodded before giving TK a nervous smile, “it’s only my second day with my license.” 

“What better time to learn then?” 

“Do you have a positive spin for everything?” 

“I’m a glass half-full kind of guy.” 

The kid laughed and TK gave him another grin before stepping back with a nod, “it looks like you walked away without even a bruise as far as I can tell — you’re very lucky. You may be a little sore tomorrow from the seatbelt, but all in all it did its job and you’re fine. Your parents will be happy about that, at least. Plus,” he looked over at where the car was stopped haphazardly on the curb, “it doesn’t even look like the car is too damaged. As far as first accidents go, this isn’t a bad one.” 

The smile he got in return was a little more certain this time, “Thanks.” 

TK returned the smile but his attention was quickly diverted by the sound of approaching sirens. He looked over to see the arrival of both the ambulance and a very familiar police cruiser. He would be lying if he said his heart didn’t skip a beat as Carlos climbed out of the passenger side and walked towards them. When he drew even with TK and the teen, he gave TK a warm smile, “Hey, you.” 

“Hey yourself.” 

Their conversation was interrupted by a groan from behind Carlos. TK looked past him to see his partner Mya approaching, eyes rolled. “Could we get through  _ one _ accident scene without all the flirting? Is that too much to ask?” 

“Hello to you too, Mya.” 

“Hi TK, you two are nauseating.” 

“Rude.” 

“But accurate.” 

The teen was watching their conversation, amusement edging out the panic that had been in his expression before. There was that, at least. 

Carlos, on the other hand, shook his head at the pair of them, “I hate to interrupt, but Officer Esquilin and I need to take this young man’s statement if you are done with him.” 

TK nodded and closed up the first aid kit, “He has a clean bill of health and is all yours. I’ll head over and tell Michelle her services won’t be needed.” He finished gathering his supplies and paused before heading to the ambulance, “I’ll catch up with you before we leave?” 

The smile Carlos gave him this time was warm and sincere, like a promise, “Of course.” 

TK returned the smile and with a wave to Mya headed off to the ambulance, a grin still on his face. 

“You wouldn’t be flirting with your boy on the clock now, would you TK?” Michelle asked as he approached. 

TK didn’t even bother to deny it, “What can I say? It’s a Christmas miracle.” 

He updated Michelle and the rest of the paramedic team on the status of their singular accident victim and was heading back to the engine to replace the first aid kit when the sound of shouting and the horrible sound of metal on metal cut through the calm afternoon. TK was already turning to see what had happened when another sound ripped through the air, freezing him on the spot. 

“Carlos!” 

The fear in Mya’s voice sent a chill down TK’s spine. He turned slowly, dread building with every heartbeat. His eyes scanned the scene desperately until he spotted him, and his heart sank. Carlos was sprawled on the pavement, the pole of the traffic light covering him. He wasn’t moving. 

TK’s heart thudded in his chest for a few frantic seconds, and then he was running before his mind had even processed the movement. He skidded to a stop and after only taking a moment to glance for immediate threats crashed to his knees beside his boyfriend. He reached out a shaking hand to check for a pulse, the sound of his own heartbeat filling his ears. He let out the breath he had been holding when he found it, sagging in relief even as Michelle arrived at Carlos’s other side. 

“What happened?” 

“I don’t know,” TK said helplessly, “I just heard Mya yelling and looked over to see him down with the pole on top of him.” 

He glanced around, trying to piece it all together. There was another car now; it had slammed right into the already precarious pole. Marjan and Paul had been working on stabilizing it. He looked for them, praying that they were okay, that they hadn’t been hurt too and was able to breathe a sigh of relief when he spotted them at the edge of the chaos, gathering equipment to help the driver currently trapped in the car that had brought down the pole. 

A pained groan drew his attention back to Carlos. His eyes were open, but they were shrouded in a haze of pain. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” TK said soothingly, running a hand through his hair, “we’re going to get you out of this.” 

“Carlos, can you tell me what hurts?” Michelle asked softly from beside him. 

“What doesn’t hurt would be a shorter list,” Carlos replied, voice strained but still strong. TK took that as a good sign. He was still talking and aware, he would be fine. They just needed to free him. He looked down at the offending pole and felt his stomach twist. He didn’t know the exact dimensions of traffic lights, but he knew that there was likely well over 200 pounds resting on Carlos’s body right now, and unfortunately most of that seemed to be centered on his chest. His mind was racing with all the implications: a blow to the chest of this magnitude could cause ribs to fracture or break, organs to be damaged, internal bleeding...the list went on and on. 

“Hey, stay with me Ty.” 

Carlos’s voice, strained with pain pulled him back to the present. TK swallowed — the last thing Carlos needed now was to be worrying about him, but he wasn’t surprised. It was just like him, really. 

“Isn’t that my line?” he asked instead. 

“Maybe, but I could see you spiraling. Going there won’t help anything.” 

“You’re right,” TK agreed, “but you don’t need to be worried about me. Just focus on breathing, let us handle the rest. We’ve got this.” 

He heard his dad calling for the team and after a quick assurance from Michelle that she wouldn’t leave Carlos, got up to join them. The rest of the team looked grim as he approached and his dad wasted no time getting into it, “How is he?” 

“He’s in pain, but stable as far as I can tell.” 

He wanted to ask what happened, he wanted to know what had happened in those few seconds he had had his back turned but he didn’t want to drag this on any longer than necessary. Every moment he was here was a moment he wasn’t by Carlos’s side and that was the only place he belonged right now. 

His dad, thankfully, seemed to agree. He quickly gave instructions to the rest of the team, directing them to grab the equipment and splitting them into teams to deal with the various tasks that would need to be handled. When he was done he lowered his voice, turning back to TK. 

“TK, stay with him. Keep him calm and still; this is going to be rough enough as it is, the last thing he needs is to accidentally shift and get hurt even more.” 

His worried gaze never left Carlos, who was still looking dazed and trying his best to track the flurry of movement around him. TK followed his dad’s gaze, swallowed, and nodded. Without a word he returned to Carlos’s side, reaching out a gentle hand to turn his face away from where Paul and Judd were getting the equipment set up. 

“Hey, look at me, okay?” he instructed softly, “just stay with me. You’re going to be alright, the team’s got this. We’re going to get you out of here.”

Carlos nodded weakly, eyes glazed over with pain and TK’s heart clenched. He slipped off one of his gloves and ran a gentle hand through Carlos’s hair, “Just stay with me,” he repeated, hoping his voice sounded stronger out loud than it did in his own ears, “it’s going to be okay.” 

Carlos gave him a weak, tired smile and TK returned it. Despite everything—all the pain and fear—Carlos was still smiling at him. He loved him so much it hurt sometimes. 

He heard his name being called and looked up to find Paul approaching with TK’s turnout coat in his hands, “we’re about to start cutting the pole so we can get it off him, you’re going to want to make sure you’re both covered to protect yourselves from the sparks.” 

TK took the offered coat with a nod and went about spreading it, making sure it was covering as much of Carlos’s form as possible. A few moments later he heard the whir of the saw and felt the heat of sparks flying from where the metal met the saw blade. He looked back down at Carlos to see him watching him. “They’re almost there,” he assured him, “we’re going to have you out of here soon.” 

“I’m not worried,” Carlos assured him, and it took everything TK has to not roll his eyes. Of course he wasn’t. Only Carlos could manage to stay calm while being crushed by a pole. 

The sound of the saw disappeared and TK looked over the coat shield. Judd was setting down the saw and the others were getting in position to remove the pole. His dad waved for TK’s attention before calling out, “we’re going to get this off him, make sure he’s ready.”

TK turned his attention back to Carlos as he heard his dad telling the team to be ready to lift on his mark, “You’re almost out sweetheart, this is almost over. Just hang on a little longer.” 

He kept Carlos’s gaze on him even as he heard his dad counting, even as he heard the command to lift. He focused on nothing but Carlos as the offending pole lifted and disappeared. He didn’t relax until he heard the sound of it hitting the ground, several feet away and he heaved a sigh of relief. They could get him out of here now; everything would be fine. 

He should have known better. 

It was only a few heartbeats, but it was enough. One moment Carlos was smiling at him, the next he was gasping in pain. 

“Carlos, what hurts?” Michelle asked him, “I need to know so I can help you.” 

“My entire chest,” he spat out between hisses of pain, “it feels like it’s on fire.” 

Michelle grabbed her stethoscope out of her bag and leaned down to listen to Carlos’s heart rate. When she looked up at TK, her expression was grim, “His heartbeat is too fast.” 

TK felt like he was on the verge of drowning but slid his hand down to Carlos’s wrist to check his pulse. It was weak; especially if his heart was beating as fast as Michelle had said. As he moved his hand back to Carlos’s face he couldn’t help but notice with an even heavier heart how clammy his skin was. 

“His pulse is weak and his skin is clammy,” he told Michelle grimly. 

She nodded, “he’s going into shock,” she declared needlessly, “the pole was acting as a tourniquet, and when it was lifted....” 

She didn’t finish her sentence, but she didn’t need to. She knew that TK’s medical training would fill in the blanks. Once the pressure of the pole had been removed, all the blood that had been held at bay was now rushing out, flooding into areas it did not belong. There was no telling how much, but an injury from an object of that size and weight was nothing to scoff at. They just needed to keep him stabilized until the bleeding could be dealt with, he just needed to hold on. 

TK spoke to him in low, reassuring tones as Michelle did what she could for him. “Stay with me,” he instructed, making a conscious effort to keep his voice even, “I know it hurts, but I need you to stay awake. We’re going to get you the help you need, I promise.” 

The smile Carlos gave him was full of trust and love. It took everything TK had not to fall apart at the sight of just how much faith Carlos had in him. It was so much more than he deserved, but he was going to do everything he could to make sure it wasn’t in vain. 

He saw Tim and Nancy approaching with the gurney in his peripheral. Michelle stood to meet them and TK squeezed Carlos’s hand again, “we’re going to move you now and it’s not going to be pleasant, but it’s one more step towards getting you the help you need.” 

Carlos nodded and TK gave him a smile as he reached down to tenderly brush an errant curl off his forehead, “it’s going to be okay Carlos; it is Christmas after all.” 

This pulled a weak chuckle from the officer as the paramedics approached and TK stood to let them transfer Carlos to the gurney. His dad appeared at his shoulder and TK turned to him, “I…” 

But his dad nodded before he even had a chance to get a word out, “Go with him — we can manage without you for the last couple of hours.” 

TK nodded, not sure how to put all the fear he was feeling into words. He turned instead to Mya who had been hovering off to the side, face pale and expression anxious. “Are you sure you don’t want to…?”

He trailed off but she shook her head anyway, “No, you go. I think having you there would be of more comfort. I’ll wrap things up here and then meet you at the hospital. I also have to call this in, get the sergeant to stand us down and…” she trailed off as well as she watched Carlos being lifted onto the stretcher. 

Owen stepped away from TK, laying a hand comforting hand on Mya’s shoulder, “You’ve got this Mya,” he told her firmly, “but we’ll be here to help in any way we can.” She nodded gratefully at him, some of the tension in her body fading. Owen turned his attention back to TK, nodding towards the ambulance, “Go on kid, take care of your boy. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

TK nodded again and with one last glance at Mya, he was gone, sprinting off to the ambulance and climbing in with Michelle, pulling the doors closed behind him. 

They were off within a moment and TK stayed close to the door, eager to stay out of the way but also ready to help if necessary. Michelle and Nancy bustled around him, tending to Carlos with their typical calm efficiency. It was only a few short minutes before Michelle gestured for him to come closer, moving aside to make room. 

“He’s losing consciousness,” she told TK in a low voice, “talk to him, try to keep him awake.” 

TK nodded before sinking down onto his knees beside the stretcher, “Hey Carlos, look at me sweetheart, I want to see those eyes of yours.” 

Carlos turned his head obediently, blinking up at TK with bleary eyes, “Hey.” 

TK forced a smile, “Hey yourself. I need you to stay awake, can you do that for me?”

Carlos blinks at him as if considering, “I want to, but I don’t think I can.” 

“Can you try really hard? We really need you to stay with us right now. I need you to stay with us.” 

“I don’t want to leave. I never want to leave you, especially not so soon.” 

TK felt a rush of ice through his veins at the realization of what Carlos was saying: he thought he was dying, and he didn’t want to. 

“Stop talking like that,” TK said as firmly as he could with the waver in his voice, “you’re not dying.”

“How do you know?” 

He tried for a joke, hoping to get a reaction out of Carlos, for him to rise to the bait like he always did: “I may not be a paramedic, but I’m still a pretty qualified field medic. I’m not just a pretty face, you know.” 

All he got instead were slow blinks, coming further and further apart. 

He tried again, desperate for a reaction, desperate for this to stop, “You’re not dying because you can’t die on Christmas Carlos, you just can’t.” 

His voice broke at the end and he swiped at the tears that had fallen from his eyes without his permission. He meant it though: ‘Carlos Reyes’ and ‘dying’ should never appear in the same sentence. Carlos Reyes shouldn’t die on Halloween or Arbor Day or a week from next Monday. Carlos Reyes shouldn’t die at all as far as TK was concerned, but no one should die on Christmas. 

They locked eyes and TK desperately tried to communicate all he was feeling through that gaze: fear, worry, determination, love. Carlos gave him the briefest of smiles and TK allowed him to feel the smallest flash of hope. It would be fine; after everything they’d been through it wouldn’t be simple bad luck that took Carlos away from, TK refused to believe it. 

But then Carlos’s eyes slipped shut and TK could feel the walls starting to close in around him. He called out to him, begging him to open his eyes again; pleading with him not to leave. 

His pleas went unheard and as Carlos’s eyes stayed closed, TK’s heart began to break. 

* * *

TK paced the waiting room, alone with his fears and desperately trying not to think the worst. It was stuck in his mind — every moment of the last horrifying hour. The sight of Carlos (strong, beautiful Carlos) fading before his eyes; Michelle’s panicked expression; the grim look of the doctors as they took their first look; the tears Michelle hastily brushed away even as she patted TK on the shoulder on her way back to the ambulance. All these images were his constant companion, his only company as he waited, and prayed. 

He had been raised a child of two faiths; both known but neither practiced. As an adult, he had never felt the call to pursue it on his own, had never found comfort in the idea of something bigger. But now he searched his mind; looking for scraps of forgotten prayers and abandoned affirmations. Never before had he turned to religion with this fervor, but never before had he felt a fear like this. He would believe anything, try anything if only it meant that Carlos would be okay. He thought desperately of the concept of a Christmas miracle. He himself had referred to one jokingly not even an hour before. He had never put much stock in the idea but never before had he felt this level of desperation; of despair; of fear. 

It was desperate, but he would cling to any hope he could right now. 

Eventually, the others trickled in. Mya appeared on his 4th circuit of the waiting room. She took one look at his expression and wilted, sinking into a chair and tracking his progress with a distant expression. He wished he had better news for her. 

His dad was next, arriving an hour later still in his uniform. He studied TK but said nothing, gathering all the information he needed from his son’s state. He sat next to Mya, offering her a reassuring half-smile, but his gaze tracked TK as he channeled his anxious energy into movement. The rest of the team followed shortly after, all changed back into their civvies, and the arrival of a group was enough of a shock to pull TK from his latest lap. 

He walked to where the group had gathered around his dad and Mya, “what are you all doing here?” 

Judd gave him an unimpressed look, “What, like we were just going to leave you here by yourself?” 

“But it’s Christmas Eve, you all had plans.” 

“So did you, kid. No one plans for this, but we’re not going to leave you alone. Especially not tonight.” 

“But…” 

He was interrupted by Marjan, who rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards one of the chairs and pushing him down into it. He stared at her and she scoffed, shaking her head as she plopped into the seat next to him. 

Paul fell into the chair on his other side as Mateo and Judd settled across from them, “We’re not going anywhere man, so you may as well just accept it.” 

“Are you sure? I mean you all had things to do, I don’t want to ruin your Christmases as well” 

“It wouldn’t feel right to leave you here — you don’t abandon family when they need you.”

TK opened his mouth again, but Marjan narrowed her eyes at him, “Don’t you even think about trying to argue. You and Carlos are both family and we are staying, end of discussion.”

He glanced around at the assembled group, at the concerned and determined expressions. He swallowed and nodded, unable to find the words to express just how much this meant. 

Paul was studying him, “how is he?” 

TK just shook his head, unable and unwilling to put it into words. Paul nodded and TK saw the others exchanging grim looks. He directed his gaze back down, studying his clasped hands. He felt a supportive hand clapped on his shoulder and he nodded his thanks without looking up. 

The waiting was always the hardest part and, despite his protestations, he was glad he didn’t have to do it alone. 

* * *

Carlos blinked his eyes open slowly squinting as they adjusted to the light. He was groggy and confused and the fact that he had no recollection of going to bed weighed on him; an indicator light pointing to something he couldn’t quite name. 

“You sure took your sweet time.” 

It was a familiar voice, but not the one he usually heard upon waking. 

“Mya?” he asked, surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded to his ears. He blinked again, bringing the room into focus as he turned his head towards the source of the voice to find his partner sitting in the chair to the left of his bed. He frowned at her, “What are you doing?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “sorry, I didn't know how unreasonable of me it was to want to see my partner in the hospital.”

He stared at her for a few more seconds as her words registered, “Hospital? What do you mean…” but he trailed off as his mind cleared and the events of the afternoon slowly returned to him. The call, the teen driver, the second car hitting the pole, pain, TK kneeling over him, TK in the ambulance begging him to stay awake. He sat bolt upright; or at least, he tried to. The pain — sharp and sudden and blinding — forced him back down. He lay there, breathing heavily for a few moments. Mya’s concerned face appeared above him, “Are you okay? Do you need a nurse?” 

He shook his head and once he caught his breath explained, “I’m fine, just sudden movement was a bad idea apparently.” 

She shook her head as she sank back into her chair, “considering the fact that you were almost crushed to death by a traffic light, I’d say that’s fair.” 

“Was anyone else hurt?” 

“I think the woman in the car that hit the traffic light was a little banged up, but nothing major. We were all just worried about you. What do you remember?” 

Carlos shrugged, “bits and pieces. I remember the pole falling and not being able to get clear in time. From there mostly just pain, and TK being with me.” 

He looked at Mya, about to ask, but she saved him the trouble by gesturing towards the other side of his bed. He twisted carefully to find another chair there, holding a sleeping TK. 

“He wore himself out with pacing,” Mya explained, “Marjan got him to sit for a little bit but most of the time he just paced. A few hours of that and I’m not surprised he fell asleep the moment he sat down for more than a few minutes.” 

“A few hours?” Carlos asked as he turned back to her, “how long have I been here.” 

“A long time. They brought you in around 4, and it’s almost midnight now. It’s been a long day, for all of us.” 

“Not an ideal way to spend Christmas Eve, I’m sorry.” 

“Did you set that whole thing up? Were you planning on getting crushed by a traffic light?”

Carlos rolled his eyes, “no.” 

“Then you can stop apologizing. It was an accident. It wasn’t ideal and generally, I prefer when you avoid getting hurt no matter what day it is, but there was nothing you could have done to stop this. I’m just happy you’re okay. As long as I still have my partner at the end, I’ll be okay.” 

“Aw, you do care.” 

She scowled at him even as he grinned, “Don’t be an ass Reyes, it’s unbecoming.” 

Carlos laughed outright at that but broke off with a hiss of pain, ‘guess that’s out,” he said dryly as Mya winced in sympathy. 

Their conversation seemed to have finally awoken TK as Carlos heard movement from his other side. He turned his head to see TK straightening in his seat, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Their eyes met and Carlos smiled as TK’s eyes widened as he processed the sight before him. 

“Carlos, you’re awake!” 

“Of course I am, I’ve been waiting on you.” 

TK ignored his feeble attempt at banter as he leaned forward, running a tender hand through his hair, “how do you feel?” 

“Not great, but I’ll be okay,” he admitted.

TK nodded but his expression didn’t lighten, “I was so scared,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper, “I thought I was going to lose you, you certainly gave it your best shot.”

Carlos swallowed thickly, “I’m sorry.” 

TK shook his head as he pulled his chair closer, reaching down to gently take Carlos’s hand in his, “it’s not your fault, you have nothing to be sorry for. I just can’t bear the thought of losing you.” 

Carlos met his eyes again to find them filled with tears, even as he tried to paste on a reassuring smile. Carlos returned the smile with one of his own as he squeezed the hand intertwined with his own. 

The sound of someone deliberately clearing their throat interrupted the moment and both TK and Carlos looked over to see Mya staring at them pointedly. 

“Hi, remember me?” she asked sarcastically, “I’m still here.” 

TK chuckled sheepishly and tried to pull away but Carlos held on to the hand linking them. He raised an eyebrow at Mya who rolled her eyes, “Fine, I can take a hint. I should go inform the rest of the waiting party that you have rejoined the land of the living anyway. Do you feel up to visitors?” 

Carlos glanced between Mya and TK in surprise, “who else is here?” 

“My dad, and the rest of my crew,” TK supplied. 

Mya nodded, “there are a few officers from the precinct as well. Turns out, you’re kind of a popular guy, who would have thought?” 

TK scowled at her on Carlos’s behalf and she raised her hands in surrender, “okay, okay — I’m going. I’ll inform the first round of visitors to wait, give you two some time. I’m sure they won’t argue, we all know how you can be.” 

Carlos ignored her teasing and instead looked back at them both baffled, “how long have they been here?” 

TK shrugged, “I’m not entirely sure how long I’ve been here so I can’t really give you a good answer, but they showed up maybe an hour or so after I got here on the ambulance with you.” 

“I’m glad you weren’t alone. If the situation had been reversed...I don’t know what I would have done.” 

“I’m just so, so happy to see you awake again,” TK said softly, reaching out to run a hand through his hair, “I really thought I had lost you for a while.”

“I’m sorry.” 

TK smiled gently, “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. I just want you to know how grateful I am that you’re still here. I can’t imagine my life without you.” 

“Me too. I don’t want to leave you, to leave this. You make me so happy Ty, I love you so much.” 

“I thought that was supposed to be my line.” 

“You can say it too, I’m never opposed to hearing it.” 

TK chuckled but acquiesced, leaning forward so his lips were only a hair’s breadth from Carlos’s face, “I love you Carlos, more than I could have ever imagined loving anyone.” 

His words washed over Carlos, warming him from the inside out. He turned his face toward TK who leaned even closer, gently pulling him into a tender, lingering kiss. They broke apart at the sound of a light knock on the doorframe. The pair looked up to see Owen and the rest of the 126 standing in the doorway, wearing various levels of smug grins. 

“Mya told us to wait a bit, but apparently we didn’t wait long enough,” Owen noted as he led the way into the room. 

“Don’t kid yourself, Cap,” Judd interjected with a roll of his eyes, “we could’ve waited an hour and they still would’ve been like that.” 

The others chuckled and TK shook his head, not quite able to hide the fond expression on his face. The attention quickly shifted to Carlos as they drew closer. Owen approached the other side of the bed, stepping up to where Mya had been sitting only a short while before. He studied Carlos carefully, brows knitted together. When he met Carlos’s eyes, his expression was tender, and concerned, “How are you feeling Carlos?” 

“I’m awake and in one piece, so I don’t think I can complain too much.” 

“Glad to hear it, you gave us quite the fright.” 

Carlos looked around at the gathered group, at all these people who cared so much about TK that they were willing to spend their entire Christmas Eve in a hospital waiting room. It brought him so much comfort to know that the person he loves has so much support, no matter what. 

“You really didn’t have to stay, thank you.” 

Owen shook his head firmly, finding Carlos’ gaze and holding it, “Actually, we did. You’re family Carlos and the 126 doesn’t abandon family, no matter what.” 

He could feel the weight of Owen’s gaze on him just as clearly as he did the feeling of TK’s hand in his own. They both filled him with a sense of warmth and contentment that had nothing to do with the pain medication. He nodded and smiled, hoping that Owen was able to infer all the emotions he was feeling, and the weight of each one. 

Paul, ever observant, interrupted the moment and saved Carlos the trouble of having to find words as approached Owen’s side, a wry grin on his face: “I do have to hand it to you man, getting crushed by a traffic light is definitely a new one.” 

“Glad I could make your shift more entertaining.” 

“Try not to make a habit of it, I don’t think TK’s body will be able to physically handle the stress of this ever again.”

At the mention of his boyfriend, Carlos turned his head back to find the man in question looking at his phone. He looked up with a smile and met Carlos’s gaze, turning his phone so he could see the screen. The time read 12:03. 

“Merry Christmas,” TK told him softly, leaning closer to allow them a bubble of intimacy as the rest of the 126 bantered amongst themselves. 

“Merry Christmas to you, too.” 

TK was smiling at him tenderly, but his expression shifted as if I thought had just occurred. 

Carlos raised an eyebrow in question and TK smiled at him again, leaning even closer and brushing his lips against Carlos’s forehead. He pulled back just far enough that Carlos could see his eyes before he clarified, voice so full of love it filled Carlos with so much warmth he could almost forget the pain, even if just for a moment. 

“It turns out I did get my Christmas miracle after all.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [tumblr](https://brilliantbanshee.tumblr.com/)


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